Landmark Larison's lives; reopens in May

A local businessman, Lou Mont, has purchased the restaurant and
will rent the building from Harold Wachtel who purchased the
71-acre Larison site from Arthur McGreevey more than a year ago,
William Kay, borough code enforcement officer, said on Monday. Kay
said the restaurant will still retain its "family style" of
service. Under ordinance changes adopted by the Borough Council
last year, restaurants have become more regulated as a conditional
use. However, Mont will be able to operate the restaurant as is
because he is not changing an existing use or making significant
changes to the building, said Kay.

Mont could not be reached for comment.

"We're thrilled," said Larry Guizio, president of the Historic
Chester Village Business Association.

Guizio said reopening the restaurant will be good for Main
Street.

"It's a landmark." said Guizio. "Families from across the tri-
state area flocked to it for Sunday dinners or the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holidays."

Foot Traffic

Diners often strolled Main Street browsing the shops after
enjoying a meal at Larison's. Guizio said the foot traffic through
the business district meant more sales for merchants.

More than a year and one-half ago, Wachtel purchased 71 acres at
the intersection of Route 206 and West Main Street. Initially,
Wachtel presented the town with plans to demolish the
restaurantLandmark Larison's lives; to reopen in May1and construct
a CVS Pharmacy and a bank on the front portion of the site with
townhouses to the rear of the property.

Last year, the Borough Council decided to protect the historic
site by rezoning it to make it more difficult for the property to
be used for multiple commercial purposes. Wachtel then sued the
town. The suit is pending in Superior Court.

Wachtel was unable to find anyone willing to operate the
restaurant at the time he purchased the property and the landmark
closed its doors in January 2001. Las t summer, Wachtel nearly sold
the restaurant to Pal's Cabin, a restaurant in West Orange;
however, the deal eventually fell through because of the failing
economy.

Larison's restaurant has been a fixture in town since it opened
in the 1940s. Th e building has been an historic landmark since
about 1800 when it was built by Isaac Corwin. Some historians have
speculated that the bricks used to build the chimney and the dining
room's interior wall came from a previous home on the site built by
Benjamin Luse.

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In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html